How To Protect Yourself From Theft During The Holiday Season

A very unfortunate thing happened to someone I know recently while enjoying a holiday season tradition of visiting the theater.

The family left a homeschool event loaded down with cameras, video cameras, and other belongings. They also had a week’s worth of money with them because they followed the cash envelope system.

They did everything they were supposed to do when attending an event downtown — exactly what you are supposed to do in a busy city.

They put all of their belongings out of site and locked them in the trunk. The next morning after the event however, they found that someone had drilled into their trunk and took everything — including their cash. Apparently, as they were putting their items in the trunk before going into the event, they were being watched.

The lesson: What they should have done is to give their expensive belongings to a friend who was going straight home, rather than putting those things in their own car. They should not have brought any belongings or cash that they were not using to the second event.

Be Aware

Similarly, there are always people will prey on innocent looking people and gladly take away their hard-earned belongings and money.

Besides downtown events at night, the most likely place someone will prey on you is at the mall.

There are people there, especially during the holiday season, for no other reason than to steal purses, pick pockets, and take purchases from your car.

To prevent being preyed on in this way, you should:

Never shop alone.

Never carry a large purse (just take cash or a credit card that you need to shop).

Don’t fill up your car with purchases and then go into another store.

Speaking of items in your car…

Don’t purchase a large electronic item and then leave it visibly in your car.

Don’t make pit stops on the way home when you have large purchased items in your car.

My husband did this once many years ago. He purchased a TV for Christmas, and then decided he wanted Taco Bell. In addition to his Chalupa, he also got to purchase a second TV and replace the glass in our car window.

This experience taught us to always go straight home after making a big purchase. And if you are leaving your car in a high crime area, it is best to remove your belongings and leave the car unlocked. Why? Because having someone ransack your car is one thing, but having to replace glass and broken doors is an even bigger problem.

I have been a certified tightwad since I became pregnant with my first child and decided to find a way to stay home with him. I enjoy sharing my experiences in my journey back to financial health and planning for a future -- which will include sending 2 kids to college and early retirement.